Outcome switching

Outcome switching is when authors of a clinical trial "move the goal posts" during a trial to achieve the desired results.

The PACE trial authors, in a clinical trial of ME/CFS patients undergoing GET/CBT, employed this tactic.

Articles on Outcome switching in clinical trials

• How Outcome Switching is Corrupting Medical Research Psychology Today By: Christopher Lane, Ph.D. - Apr 30, 2916
• For my next trick... Economist - Mar 26, 2016
• Is Outcome Switching Still A Problem In Clinical Trials? Clinical Leader By: Ed Miseta - Mar 7, 2016
• How researchers dupe the public with a sneaky practice called "outcome switching" VOX By: Ben Goldacre Update: Julia Belluz - Dec 29, 2016

Tracking outcome switching

• compare-trials.org

PACE trial

• In 2016, Julie Rehmeyer gave the talk Bad Statistics, Bad Reporting, Bad Impact on Patients: The Story of the PACE Trial Slideshow given at the 2016 Joint Statistics Meetings (Notes may be be viewed by clicking the “Notes” icon just above the comments section in the slideshow link.)

• David Tuller spoke about and answered questions on the PACE trial and its flaws.

Feb 28, 2016, David Tuller gave a speech with Q&As. That speech can be viewed here.

Feb 27, 2016, While in Amsterdam at The Forgotten Plague Conference, David Tuller gave an interview with Frank Twisk discussing the flaws of the Pace trial. That interview can be viewed here.

• PACE trial - Release of Data

Learn more

• Open data
• Open access
• Peer-review

See also

• Alem Matthees won the Freedom of Information Act request for PACE trial data.

PACE trial A controversial study which claimed that CBT and GET were effective in treating "CFS/ME", despite the fact that its own data did not support this conclusion. Its results and methodology were widely disputed by patients, scientists, and the peer-reviewed scientific literature.